Airship



Nov. 6, 1928.

v. c. RICHMOND ET AL AIRSHIP v Filed Dec. 15, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet I fizvazz'Zm J 4 dope or other medium by Patented Nov. 6, 1928.

VINCENT CRANE RICHMOND AND enonennnnnnnr soocrr, or CAR-DINGTON, ENGL ND.

AIRSHIP.

Application fledDeoember L5, 1982, Serial No;

This invention relates i to: lighterthane aircraft of the type, wherein. the gasbags or cells are carried inside a rigid or semi-rig d: hull framework, the whole being, encased in a, flexible or semi-flexible cover composed of panels of fabric, and'moresparticularly the invention relates to methods. of or arrangements for obtainingand maintaining tautness in the cover.

According to an existing method, the panels of fabric are laced to the hull frame-- work by handas tautly as, possible. Sufficient tension cannot be obtained by this methodto' prevent the cover from bulging or flapping underthe pressure of the atmospherewhen in flight, and it is customary therefore to apply doping medium to the cover when n place to cause it to shrink andincrease its tension.

Owing to thelargc area of: the cover involved and the-difliculty of access to all parts of its surface, this process of doping in situ is costly and unsatisfactory. -A further 010- j ection is that in the process of time and under the action ofweatheron the fabric, the cover becomes slack, and the speed of-the airship is reduced owing to the irregularities-of surface which arise, froma slack cover. The only remedy then is to re-dope the cover which adds unnecessary weight to the ship and ls-a costly process.

According to the present invention, tautening of the cover in an airship is tained by mechanical means instead: through the shrinking action of consequence, it is immaterial, for the purpose of tightening, whether any doping; or the like treatment for the fabric isapplied before. or after the panels are laced to the hull.

One advantage of applying the doping or the like treatment to the fabric before the: panels are made up and; laced to the hull is that this treatment may be carried out bymechanical spreading machines, under: controlled conditions of atmospheric tempera ture and humidity, which give a smoother, a, more efiicient and I more chemical-1y stable coating than can be obtained by brushing on hand-,- when the panelsa e in place, in the. ship shed where the v conditions-cannot be controlled."

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Broadly stated, the mechanical meansof tautening employed according to the present invention are adapted to force the cover fabric inW-ardsor outwards relativelyto the airship hull, from WhflbWOllld be the normal 240 30a; and in Great Britain October 12, 1926.

position, in. a direction perpendicular or approximately perpendicular to the surface of the: fabric. I

The invention is illustrated diagrammatically and by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which Figs. 1 and2 are atransverse section of two'panels ofthe hullframework or" an airship, showing two forms of construction of the present improvements Figs; Fiend l, 5 and 6, 1-3 and '14 numeral. 1 indicates the of an airship, an'd'2'are Figs. 1 and 2, the outer cover is drawn in by means of tautening lines orthe like 3 extending transversely to the longitudinal girders ormembers of the hull frameworkof the -airship,p and connected with the longitudinal girders as at 1-, and with the covert) as at 6' between the longitudinal girders-. The points at which the cover is pulled in may lie in rows runningiparallel or approximatelyparallel to the longitudinalgirders. Any, number of such rows ofattachment points may be chosen, forexai-uple, one row only spaced midway between each two adjacent longitudinal girders may be used as shown in Fig; 1, or two rows spaced equidistant fromone-another'andfrom the nearestligirder may be; used as shown in Fig.2.

Various arrangements for attaching thetautening lines to'the cover may be employed. Fonexample, each transverse line maybe continuous from one longitudinal girder to another and connected at one or more points with each cover-fabric panel. r

Auxiliary girders, tubes, or other stiff members 7 may be secured, parallel to the main longitudinal girders of the airship,

along the rows of points for attachment of" the tautening lines, such stiffening members not being an integral part of the framework ofthe shi The spacing of the tautening lines 3 in a direction longitudinal of the airship is chosen by means of auxiliary reeling booms, may

1 screws 3 (Figs. 1 and 8) or the like inserted in them.

According to another arrangement shown lIl Figs. 3 and a, the outer cover is forced out girders or other st-ilfening members 8 lying parallel to the main longitudinal girders of the airship on the inner side of the cover 5 and on the outer side of the tautening lines 3. The stiff girders or members 8, which may be termed tautening or be arranged with any number in each panel, one being employed in Fig. 3 and two being employed in Fig. 4.

Any convenient arrangement of tautening lines may be employed. The tautening lines may be attached to the reeling booms 8 or to kingposts or other similar projections 9 on the reeling booms. The projections give a better (i. e. a more acutely bent) lead to the tautening lines, without employing a reeling boom which is too deep and consequently unnecessarily heavy.

In the methods shown in Figs. 5ll: one or more intermediate longitudinal girders 10 may be built into the framework of the airship between the members of each pair of main longitudinal girders, and reeling booms may be arranged to pull in or push out the cover in each panel between an intermediate and a main longitudinal girder, or between two intermediate girders. For example, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6 one intermediate longitudinal girder may be built on to the transverse rings 2 and the cover 5 may be pulled in between adjacent main and intermediate longitudinal girders by transverse tautening lines 3, attached to the cover at one or more points 6 between the intermediate and main longitudinal girders.

According to another feature of the invention the tautening lines may be arranged to run freely through the points of connection with the cover, and may be tautened at one point in a panel. By passing the tautening lines through pulleys from one panel to the next in the same vertical plane, they may be carried completely around the ship and tautened at a single convenient point in the lower portion of the framework.

According to a previous invention of the present applicants described in United States patent specification Serial No. 74:5, l64t, airships may be constructed with transverse frames 2 built in the form of a continuous trussed structure of triangular or prismatic cross section. In such an airship the junct-ion points 11 (Fig. 6) of these transverse frames with the main longitudinal girders 1 form a convenient point of attachment for the tautening lines.

The tautening lines may be carried from these junction points to the auxiliary members 7, the reeling booms 8, or the intermediate longitudinal members or the like 10 in a variety of ways. For example, the tautening lines may run from one transverse frame junction to a reeling boom or the like, diagonally (Figs. (Figs. 8, 9 and 10),'and mayrun from one reeling boom to another perpendicularly, in

pairs close together (Fig. (Figs. 9 and 10).

The reeling booms 8 or intermediate longitudinals 10 may be continuous along the whole length of the airship, or may be discontinuous at points along their length. The points 12 at which discontinuity occurs may be made to coincide with the planes of the transverse frames 2 as shown in Fig. 9, or may be located midway between the planes of the adjacent transverse frames 2 as shown in Figs. 10 and 11, and these points may coincide with the points of zero bending moment on the reeling booms as a whole,or at any other convenient point. The dotted 8) or spaced apart graph in Fig. 11 represents the bending w moment diagram. 1

O is the datum line, +w and 00 are positive and negative flexures, and 13 are the points of contralleirure zero bending moments.

According to another featureof the invention, readily detachable joints or couplings may be provided at the points of discontiunity of the reeling booms to facilitate erection. These joints or couplings may be of a type which resists shear and torsion in the reefing booms, but will not resist bending. For example, as shown in Fig. 12, the joints or couplingsmay consist of ears 1a of flat metal secured to and projecting laterally at the end of each adjacent reefing boom the ears of one boom being riveted or otherwise secured, as at 15, to the ears on the other boom.

According to anotherfeature of the invention, the tautening wires 3 may be dispensed with and the reeling booms 10 may be forced outwards byscrew jacks or other mechanical means 16 attachedto the transverse frame 2 and arranged in one or more rows between adjacent main longitudinal girders 1, a shown in Figs. 13 and 14.. i In any of'the above arrangements the outer cover 5 may be attached to the reeling booms where it is in contact with them, or it may be left free, and the reeling booms may be stabilized against tilting in a transverse direction by means of independent lines, or

bands of fabric connecting them with the main longitudinal girders.

It may be necessary to provide additional stillness in the outer cover in certain local 7 and 8) or perpendicularly ill) iii

areas, as for example in the wake of propellers. This may be done by means of light auxiliary girders connected with the reefing booms and/or with the main longitudinal girders. Alternatively, a double layer of fabric may be provided, the space between the two layers being airtight. Into this space air is blown by means of a scoop, mechanical blower or other similar device, so that an air cushion is formed in the cover which resists any flapping which might otherwise arise from the slipstream of the propellers or from any other similar cause.

The main longitudinal girders and other longitudinal members forming part of the framework or otherwise, may be constructed of triangular cross section. 1

Having thus described the nature of the said invention and the best means we know of tarrying the same into practical effect, we claim 1. In an airship embodying a hull framework and a cover fabric stretched thereover, means for tautening the cover fabric, said means acting to force the cover fabric in a direction transverse to its surface relative to the hull framework.

2. In an airship embodying a hullframework and a cover fabric stretched thereover, mechanical means for tautening the cover fabric, said means forcing the fabric in a direction normal to its surface.

In an airship embodying a hull framework and a cover fabric stretched over the hull framework, transverse tautening lines connected with the cover fabric at points lying in rows running substantially parallel to the longitudinal girders of the hull framework and adapted to force the cover fabric in a direction normal to its surface.

4. An airship as claimed in claim 3, wherein stiffening members are arranged along the rows of points of connection of the tautening lines with the fabric. 7

5. In an airship embodying a hull framework including longitudinal girders, and having a cover fabric stretched over said framework, longitudinal members located intermediate of the main longitudinal girders of the framework and inside the cover fabric, and mechanical means for tightening the cover fabric upon said longitudinal members.

6. An airship having a cover fabric stretched over a hull framework formed of transverse frame and longitudinal girders, and means including longitudinal booms for tightening the cover fabric over the framework.

7. In an airship embodying a hull framework including main longitudinal girders and having a cover fabric stretched over the hull framework, discontinuous longitudinal members located intermediate of the main longitudinalgirders of the framework and inside the cover fabric, and mechanical means for tightening the cover fabric upon said longitudinal members.

8. An airship having a cover fabric stretched over the hull framework, discontinuous longitudinal members located intermediate of the main longitudinal girders of the framework and inside the cover fabric, mechanical means for tightening the cover fabric upon said longitudinal members, and joints connecting adjacent sections of said discontinuous longitudinal. members adapted to resist shear and torsion but not resistant to bending.

9. An airship having a cover fabric attached to the hull framework and mechanical means for forcing said cover fabric in a direction normal to its surface to tighten said cover fabric, said cover fabric being in part of double thickness to form an air-containing cellular space.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification.

VINCENT CRANE RICHMOND. GEORGE HERBERT SCOTT. 

